NRC Suspends Service After Warri-Itakpe Train Derailment

The Nigerian Railway Corporation announced that suspected vandals had sabotaged the rail track on Saturday, resulting in a train derailment.

This was disclosed in a statement signed by Kayode Opeifa, the Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Railway Corporation.

According to the statement, the derailment occurred at approximately 19:30 hours involving two out of the seven coaches of the Warri-Itakpe Train Service.

The statement reads, “The Management of the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) wishes to inform the general public that a train derailment incident occurred yesterday at approximately 19:30 hours, involving two out of the seven coaches of our Warri-Itakpe Train Service (WITS) at Kilometre 212+8m, Agbor.

“Preliminary investigations indicate that the incident may have been caused by suspected track vandalism.”

It added, “We are pleased to confirm that all passengers on board were safely evacuated to Agbor, and everyone has been fully accounted for. No casualties or injuries were recorded.

“Our recovery team, supported by security personnel, has been at the site since last night, carrying out recovery operations. These efforts are progressing steadily and are expected to be completed soon.”

“As a precautionary measure, train services on the corridor have been temporarily suspended today to enable a comprehensive security and safety audit of the track and related infrastructure.

“We sincerely regret any inconvenience this may cause our valued passengers and the general public. Normal operations will resume as soon as it is verified safe to do so,” it added.